LogFAQs > #967557071

I watched an enactment of the 16th century book Daemonologie where King James lays out his spurious definitions of witchcraft and justifications for killing witches and wizards.

(seen here)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXVQCss9yyo

in it he does define magic user terms. these include Mage (Magie), Necromancer (Necromancie), Sorcerer (Sorcerie), and Witch(-craft).

I didn't quite grock it on first viewing, but going over the text, the definitions are something like this:

Mage and Necromancer are the same thing; Sorcerer (Sorcery) and Witch(craft) are the same thing.

Sorcerers/Witches are slaves to the devil, whereas Mages/Necromancers are his masters and commanders.

"Q: how can it be that any man can be his commanders? A: ...whereby he obliges himself in some trifles to them, that he may on the other part obtain the fruition of their body and soul."

(while this has a lot of historical relevance, it doesn't seem to apply very well to modern fantasy meanings of these terms.)